SOME PUBLISHERS AND OTHER INTERESTING PEOPLE

photos of Lester R. Brown

We wish we would have had photographs of the many people who have published Lester’s books over the years so that we could honor them here. They are unsung heroes. The same applies to the many incredible people he has met throughout his travels. In lieu of time travel to get these photographs, we have put together the best sampling of folks who have graced Lester’s work.

Ted Turner, Laura Turner-Seydel, Lester, Rutherford Seydel, and Maureen at Ted’s 70th birthday party, Atlanta 2008. photo by Turner Enterprises. Inc.

2008

Inspired by Lester and his own career as a children’s troubadour, Raffi Kavoukian founded the Centre for Child Honoring. Lester serves on the Board of Advisors. They met for the first time in

San Francisco.

Lester, Maureen, and Betty and Homero Aridjis, after dinner at the Cosmos Club in 2012. Aridjis is a Mexican writer and member of the Environmental Group of 100.

Lester, Vicki Sant, and Tom Lovejoy, 2006. Vicki heads the Summit Foundation, which provided the startup funds for Earth Policy Institute. Tom Lovejoy is Professor of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University.

Relaxing over the weekend with friends Marilyn Weiner, Joan Douglas Murray, Hal Weiner, Maureen, and Lester, 2012. Marilyn and Hal are documentary producers, including the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth, and Joan heads the Wallace Genetic Foundation.

Junko Edahiro in the New Otani Hotel garden, Tokyo, 2008. Junko, initially an interpreter, has gone on to found both an environmental organization, Japan for Sustainability, and a consulting firm on the benefits of systemic thinking.

In 2004, Junko was chosen as Japan’s most successful career woman by Nikkei Career Women magazine.

Lester and Maureen with Carl Safina, author and founding president of Blue Ocean Institute.

Doug and Deb Baker—supporters, reviewers of EPI’s book, and friends—at the Environmental Inaugural Ball, 2009. Lester in the corner.

Steve Kirsch, entrepreneur, promoting Plan B 2.0.

Dave Mowry and Lester. Dave arranged for Lester to speak in Riverside, California, in 2008.

President (now former) of Romania, Ion Iliescu and Lester. In 1987, while head of the publishing house Editura Tehnica, Iliescu began publishing State of the World. He wrote the Foreword, which he continued to do for all of Lester’s books—even after he became President.

Hamid Taravati and Lester in Lester’s apartment in DC, 2003. Hamid has been publishing Lester’s books in Iran for over two decades. He is a medical doctor and established an environmental organization.

Lester and Toshishige Kurosawa, head of Ikari Corporation. Mr. Kurosawa regularly distributed copies of the Japanese editions of Lester’s books to decisionmakers. He even established an office for Lester to use when he visited Tokyo.

Magnar Norderhaug was so taken with the State of the World series that he established Worldwatch Norden in order to get the books published in the Nordic languages. For one intense week every January, Lester traveled to the four countries—Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and The Netherlands—to launch the editions. Some of the covers are shown here.

Eduardo Athayde with Lester in Brazil. Eduardo published State of the World 1999 in Portuguese and later World Watch magazine (electronic). He

is always ready to help set up events and interviews for Lester in Brazil.

Gianfranco Bologna, Scientific Director of WWF Italy. In 1978, he translated Twenty-Ninth Day in Italian and arranged for its publication. For 35 years he has been a friend and has headed the translation team in Italy and secured excellent publishing houses, including Edizioni Ambiente, the current publisher. Gianfranco has also helped arrange events in Italy to launch the books.

Olav Randen, head of the Norwegian publishing house, Boksmia. May 2010

L to r: Marc Zischka, Ecologik Business; Philippe Vieille, Souffle Court and Kalys; Pierre-Yves Longaretti, Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Grenoble; Lester; Antoine Darras, Averti Editions; and Frederic Jouffroy. All contributed to translating and publishing the French edition of World on Edge. Paris 2001. Pierre-Yves and Philippe also translated and published Plan B 2.0.

Yul Choi, head of the Korean Green Foundation and KFEM, is also a Goldman Environmental Prize awardee. For over a decade, he has arranged for Lester’s books to be published in South Korea.

In June 2007, Yul Choi and a few of his colleagues visited Lester in Washington, D.C. Here they are in Lester’s apartment. Behind them in the photo on the right are two bookshelves filled with translation editions of Lester’s books.

Soki Oda with Lester in Tokyo in 2003. Soki has been tireless in getting Lester’s books published in Japan, eventually starting his own publishing house, World Watch Japan. Soki edited some of the books into versions for young adults. He has also organized hundreds of media interviews, public addresses, and meetings with political leaders over the last 26 years.

Edoardo Rivetti, publisher, and Ricardo Voltolini, head of the translation team, for the Portuguese edition of Plan B 4.0.

Lin Zixin, formerly of the Institute of Science and Technological Information of China, where he began publishing Lester’s books in Chinese (29 editions and counting!). Now retired, he heads the translation team. He also sets up meetings when Lester is in Beijing. Lester refers to Lin as his Chinese brother.

Gilberto Rincon, CEID, Spanish publisher since Plan B 2.0. Here they are in Bogota, where he arranged to have Lester speak.

Doris and Lars Almstrom have been translating and publishing Lester’s books in Swedish since Plan B 2.0. Both teachers, they eventually took early retirement to spend more time translating and also to get Sweden to adopt Plan B.

In 1994, Worldwatch Institute organized a surprise party for Lester’s sixtieth birthday. It was held at the Cosmos Club. The following photographs are from that event.

Reah Janise Kauffman, who spearheaded the event, with Lester. The album Lester is holding contains letters and cards from people who could not attend.

All photos shown in this sectionwere taken by Rita Malone.

Prince Albert of Lichtenstein

Bill Dietel, who arranged for the startup grant for Worldwatch Institute when he was with the Rockfeller Brothers Fund.

Bruce Babbitt. At the time he was Secretary of the Interior.

Iva Ashner from W.W. Norton & Co., publisher of Lester’s books since 1975 beginning with In the Human Interest.

Orville Freeman, former Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor of Minnesota. He was Chairman of the Board for Worldwatch Institute and a mentor to Lester.

Kathleen Flom, John Young (colleague at Worldwatch), Bill Dietel, and Scott McVay. Scott was head of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and was enlisted to get Lester to the Cosmos Club in such a way that he wouldn’t suspect anything was up. Scott now sits on the Board of the Earth Policy Institute.

Joe Robertson and his wife. Robertson was Assistant Secretary for Administration at the USDA when Lester worked there and nominated him for several awards.

Edgar Lin, Taiwanese legislator Lester met when launching World Watch magazine inTaiwan, which Lin helped to get published.

Gene Taylor, classmate at Rutgers and longtime friend

Tom and Joanne Trail, long time friends of Lester. Tom was a fellow IFYE in 1956 and was also Lester’s roommate at the University of Maryland in 1959. This photo was taken at Lester’s 60th birthday party, 1994. For many years, Tom was a member of the Idaho legislature.

Jim Davis (center) and Tom Trail (left). Jim and Lester lived in “The Towers” when they attended Rutgers. Jim played football player for Rutgers.

Jan Denton and John Andrews were next-door neighbors. John is a respected Shakespeare scholar and heads The Shakespeare Guild.

Herman Daly, the University of Maryland. One of the first ecological economists.

Judy Gradwohl (center in blue) and Georgie Anne Geyer (columnist).

Saturday football team members: Lou Heon and Pete Stathes, who quarter-backed for George Washington University in the 1930s. Gil Sward has his back to the camera.

Harriett Crosby, a longtime friend who also helps to support Earth Policy Institute.

Bill Chandler a former colleague at Worldwatch.

Eddie Albert, actor best known for the sitcom Green Acres

Ed Ayres (editor of World Watch magazine) and his wife Sharon. Kathleen Courrier, former colleague at Worldwatch, is on Lester’s right.

Kathleen Flom managed the International Farm Youth Exchange program, which sent Lester to India in 1956.

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